Per Mertesacker is entrusted with the job of collecting fines from Arsenal players in breach of club discipline but the German may find himself going cap in hand to manager Arsene Wenger for his place in the team.

This time, when the final whistle blew, there were clenched fists, celebrations and a sense of triumph. Those supporters tucked away high up in the South Stand of the Stadium of Light celebrated the victory with unbridled delight.

West Ham are surely safe. Sunderland and Cardiff do not appear to have four victories left in them. Five days after the catcalls and self-mocking depreciation from Sam Allardyce, when West Ham edged past 10-man Hull, the mood of the club had changed.

“Of course he’s had a difficult week,” said captain Kevin Nolan. “With everything that goes on at the moment, all the online stuff, it can go really stupid. As the gaffer said, he wasn’t mocking the fans, he just couldn’t believe it was happening.

“It was a rough game and he was delighted with the three points.

“Obviously people are going to have problems with managers and players and you get that wherever you go. I’ve witnessed that at Newcastle and I’ve seen it at Bolton, too.

“He’s got a good rapport with the fans and I think they know he knows what he’s doing and if he’s given armoury and the backing and everything he wants he can build a team that will be challenging for Europe and doing it the right way.

“You only have to look back at what we had at Bolton when he was given the ammunition to go on and the situation he got us in. He got us into Europe twice and when he left, they struggled. It was a few boos on Wednesday and a few grumblings.

“Being around the supporters, they’ve been fantastic with him and all the lads. It was a minority and hopefully they will change their minds and come on board quickly and we’ll all be celebrating at the end of the season after a successful campaign in the Premier League.”

Five days is a long time in football.That last night’s victory should have been far easier was overlooked, such was the sense of achievement in those West Ham players leaving the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland’s desperate plight was a harsh reminder of the pitfalls of playing managerial roulette.

Gus Poyet is the club’s fourth manager in the last three seasons. All of the bottom five of the Premier League have changed manager at least once during the campaign.

West Ham have stability, Sunderland don’t. The grim expressions of staff at the club following defeat was a reminder of how precarious life in the Premier League can be when there is no plan.

They no longer expect to be playing in the top flight next season. Poyet even threatened to quit if his players throw in the towel.

The Hammers were in control for 65 minutes last night. By that point Andy Carroll had scored with a fine header, set up Mohamed Diame to score with a deflected effort and if Stewart Downing had finished in the 61st minute when he broke clear, there would not have been the lifeline that Adam Johnson handed his side with a curling shot. From there Allardyce’s side had to stand strong. And they did.

“Look, you have to admire the board for sticking with Sam,” added Nolan. “We all said it. We had a very tough time early in the season with injuries. I didn’t help with my suspensions and sendings-off. I held my hands up for that. But sometimes you get hit with injuries. I don’t think I’ve ever been through a season where so many major players have been out.

“At one stage we had all three of our central defenders out.

“But we’ve all dug in. It will be so pleasing coming to the end of the season knowing we’ve scrapped away when we needed.

“I’m sure that if we’d had our squad for the full season, we would have had a better season. We wouldn’t have been in and around the relegation zone. We wouldn’t have been talking about that.

“It’s nice to be sitting where we are now, with six games to go and looking forward to what will hopefully be more wins and get into that top-10 spot and knocking off Stoke.

“Our aim now is to get to that 10th spot and then we can all go and have a good summer and let the gaffer and the board start worrying about who they will bring in for next season.” At Sunderland they cannot plan. They cannot do anything. The fragility of their position means another Premier League season is unlikely.

The decision by owner Ellis Short to appoint a small-time agent in Roberto de Fanti and give him free reign in the transfer market will go down as one of the worst the division has seen.

What Short would give to now have the additional 12 points that separate his club and West Ham.

“Of course, that is the point,” added Nolan. “If you look at anyone below us and if they could have 37 points and win and be jeered off they would be happy.” Quite.